Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in the US in the wake of a broad winter storm. Thousands of flights are grounded, and roads are a mess. 100,000 people are dying of diabetes every year in the US. It’s going to take broad policy changes to address this crisis, and medicating it away
Russia insists all the hullabaloo about a potential Ukrainian attack is invented, Western nonsense. In the meantime they’ve literally surrounded Ukraine with enough military assets to easily overtake Ukraine’s defensive capabilities. And they’ve shipped in blood (which is only good for about 42 days) and medical supplies: Winter storm Landon is driving freezing temperatures across
One of the things we’ve been most excited about in the vehicle prepping market over the last few years is how modern battery technology enabled a new category of personal, portable chargers for jumping a dead battery and other power-hungry vehicle fixes. I’m a big believer in buying high-quality devices that do one thing well
Portable battery power stations like those from Jackery are a useful addition to your power outage kit, especially when paired with a solar panel for off-grid charging. But you can easily build your own, customizing it for your own needs and learning about electronics in the process. The project is simple enough: you add batteries,
The US Commerce Department says we’re so short of semi-conductors that production shutdowns could occur downline. Car and medical device industries are anticipated to feel the impacts the most. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jerusalem are experiencing snow. Folks in parts of Egypt are particularly concerned as residential dwellings and other buildings are not generally constructed
There’s been a massive deployment of Russian war ships, and their path towards the Black Sea is evident. Tensions continue to mount between Russia and the West, and the US seems to be operating as if conflict over Ukraine might happen. Canada is loaning Ukraine monies to help in a defense effort. The US Administration
You might think ham radio is all about the radios, but it’s really about the antennas. That becomes apparent when you move into the long-distance HF bands, where having the right antenna type at the right length with ideal placement makes all the difference. You can have a fantastic 100-watt HF transceiver like the Icom
Store shelves from coast to coast are increasingly bare. Biden says shelves being 11% empty is not much different than before the pandemic. It looks pretty different to me, folks: Pay in the UK is not keeping up with inflation, and for most people this means, essentially, that they’re getting a pay cut. In the
The US is desperately short on blood. People are dying in hospitals from a lack of blood supply. Please consider donating. If folks tell me in the comments they’re going to go donate, I will pop on that n95 and go donate in solidarity, too. A volcano in Tonga erupted in spectacular fashion this week.
When I worked on the best receive-only emergency radios guide — the kind that don’t need a license since you don’t transmit — there was one model at the top of my mind: the C. Crane Skywave SSB. Highly regarded by amateur radio enthusiasts and shortwave fans, this radio receiver picks up the common things
The Supreme Court shoots down the federal mandate for testing/vaccines for companies employing over 100 people, but upholds mandates for health care workers: Poland says the risk of war with Russia is higher than it’s been in decades: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is forming a Domestic Terrorism Unit. Although it’s clear that polarization is
Bird flu is spreading around the world. Millions of poultry birds have been culled to prevent the spread of the disease, and millions more are at risk. Chickens in Maine could be at risk due to proximity to infected chickens in Canada. This avian flu can be passed to humans, but so far this has
There’s snow across the South and the East Coast with hundreds of thousands left periodically without power. This storm system is now forming into a huge bomb cyclone that could hit the British Isles and Europe. This weather wreaked havoc with ground and air transportation. Thousands of drivers got stranded overnight on the I-95 in
So many firefighters were out sick and isolating with COVID in San Diego County that operations (including emergency response) had to be cut back. Seven engines were pulled from service temporarily. There’s been a huge sewage spill in Southern California impacting beaches from Los Angeles down to Orange County. Mass beach closures were enacted as
Huge, December wildfires in Colorado have forced the evacuation of two towns with populations of tens of thousands of people. Wind gusts are very high and are driving multiple, fast-moving wildfires. The traffic to evacuate is at a standstill in places: Renewables power about 20% of our energy grid. Researchers at Stanford used modeling to
